My Destiny
by Rihua
Summary: *one-shot* Although prequel to "My Secret", I recommend that you read that one before this. What has caused Vegeta to turn from arrogant to heartless? Even young love can leave permanent scars.


My Destiny  
  
---  
  
This is the prequel to "My Secret" but you don't need to read it to understand "My Secret". In fact, this was suppose to be Chapter 12 and 13. However, after I wrote it, I realized it's not going to work very well, sticking something so big in the middle of a story, and since it can stand as a story of its own, I made it into the prequel. Enjoy.  
  
---  
  
A young girl of thirteen, her chestnut-colored hair tied up in a pony tail bouncing behind her, walked briskly towards the East Wing of the space ship, her arms loaded with several books of three inches thick each, blocking her front view. She trusted on her mental powers to avoid collision.  
  
"What's wrong, Rye? Not tall enough?" A pair of laughter drifted across the empty hallway.  
  
"Speak for yourself, Vegeta." She answered arrogantly.  
  
"You sure you don't need help, little girl?" Nappa placed his giant hand on the top of the books and smiled down teasingly at her. Vegeta stood next to him, both dressed for training.  
  
"Of course not. You two go ahead. I'll be fine." After watching them turn the corner, she started walking again, but didn't get very far before she was thrown back and her books scattered all over the hall. She looked up, to meet the worst possible face.  
  
"Girl, watch where you're going!" Frieza spoke sharper than usual, his spits flying everywhere.  
  
"I... I'm sorry, sir."  
  
"What are you doing, wandering around the hall like this? According to my memory, you have a task due this afternoon at five sharp."  
  
"N...no sir, it is due tomorrow afternoon at five."  
  
Frieza's face twisted in fury. "You questioning my authority?"  
  
"No sir."  
  
"Then you will have it done by five today."  
  
"I... I cannot, sir. I need more time."  
  
"Oh you can't, huh? Then maybe you shouldn't be strolling around!"  
  
"I was just researching-"  
  
"You ARE aware of the consequences if you do not have the energy indicator by my deadline."  
  
Rye swallowed her fear and anger. "Yes sir."  
  
"Get going then!"  
  
"Yes sir." She got onto her knees and began gathering the books together.  
  
Frieza, still in a horrible mood, walked away cursing, but not before stepping on Rye's outstretched hand.  
  
No longer caring about the welfare of the books, she sprinted down the hall and charged, breathlessly, into the lab.  
  
Her assistant approached her at once. "Rye, just in time. I need you to approve this-"  
  
"No time for that. Gather everyone for me. We've got a major crisis." The assistant looked dubiously at her, but followed the instruction without question. Soon, couple hundred scientists gathered around the main room.  
  
Rye climbed on top of one of the desks and raised her hand to silence the crowd, and got straight to the point. A murmur of protest and disbelief followed, but there was no time, Rye explained. She told everyone to drop whatever they were doing, and redirected them to certain tasks. When the last order was issued, her assistant walked up to her.  
  
"Rye, you're asking for the impossible."  
  
"I know, Taruggi. I know."  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"Frieza woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and I made the mistake of running into him."  
  
Taruggi bit his lip. "Yes, Rye, not a very wise choice. This is his way of punishment for us, scientists."  
  
"No... that's not it. Frieza just wants me dead. He's been after me for eight years. It was bound to happen, sooner or later."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, quite certain, but I'm not going to let him kill me. We've got to get this finished."  
  
Taruggi nodded, and they both walked off to their own job.  
  
---  
  
By noon, the whole science wing was busier than the stock market. People running about, papers flying everywhere, and furious typing was going on at every one of the available computers.  
  
Taruggi, however, insisted that Rye have lunch. "If you are going to die, might as well die with a full stomach."  
  
So now, Rye walked with a heavy heart towards the cafeteria. She supposed Taruggi was right. Afterall, she didn't want the guys to know anything was wrong. They were expecting her, and if she didn't show up... well, it was easy to picture Vegeta's reaction.  
  
"Your project going all right, I assume?"  
  
"Yes, sir, Lord Frieza." Rye bowed, and didn't raise her head again until his bone-chilling crackle was barely audible.  
  
---  
  
"Where is she? I'm starving here!" Nappa yelled, long lost his patience.  
  
"Calm youself, Nappa. She must be busy." Vegeta calmly replied, keeping his eye to the entrance.  
  
"Not like we aren't. If we don't get ourselves back to the training center soon, we're going to get whipped good."  
  
To Vegeta, Frieza's tail was nothing compare to Rye's well-being. He checked the clock. Thirty minutes left.  
  
"I say we just get our food without her."  
  
To that, Vegeta would not agree. "Not yet. There's still time."  
  
Nappa looked around him as one by one, people and monsters got up from their seats and left the room. 'There's still time', huh?  
  
"Sorry I'm late." Vegeta and Nappa both turned around, but with completely opposite reaction.  
  
"Hm." Nappa grunted.  
  
"You kept us waiting." Vegeta said harshly, but relief was obvious in his features.  
  
"Sorry. Ran into Frieza."  
  
"What did he want?"  
  
"Nothing. Come on, I'm starving."  
  
"An excellent suggestion." Nappa grumbled.  
  
"Nappa. Get some for us too." Vegeta ordered.  
  
"No, don't do that. I can get-"  
  
"I need to talk to you." That was Nappa's cue to leave, and Rye's cue to sit back down.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked without a trace of her turmoil within.  
  
"Good question. You were an hour late. Don't expect me to believe nothing happened."  
  
"I told you. I ran into Frieza."  
  
"So what did he want, keeping you from lunch for an hour?" Vegeta asked skeptically.  
  
"Well... actually..."  
  
"Don't lie to me. I overheard Frieza talking to Dodoria today. Said you're going to die soon, no matter what."  
  
Rye stared long and hard at him. Despite the calmness in his face, there were a tinge of worry visible, and Rye found herself blurting out the the truth. The whole truth, leaving nothing out. Rye talked to the checkered table cloth, unable to meet his gaze. When she finally finished, Vegeta's expression showed indifference.  
  
"Can you do it?"  
  
"No... No, of course not! That's what he's hoping for!"  
  
"You can't do it because that's what he's hoping for, or have you tried?"  
  
"I... I'm having the whole staff working like slaves back at the lab. We haven't been able to figure out a single thing."  
  
"Then, are you prepared to die?"  
  
"I don't have much of a choice, now do I?" Her dry laughter crumbled like dry leaves.  
  
"Run."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Run away."  
  
"Are you crazy? He's just going to catch up with me. He rules the universe."  
  
"I have a way. The choice is yours. If you leave, Frieza might kill off the entire team."  
  
"Now THAT is something even he can't afford. No, I'm not worried about them if I run. I'm worried about you."  
  
"Hm."  
  
Rye stared at him apprehensively. "Vegeta..."  
  
Before he could convince her otherwise, Nappa arrived carrying armful of food, and they rapidly shoved all the food into their mouth before the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang. No more words were exchanged, except the usual "bye" before heading back to work. Unknown to Nappa, however, that word spoken by Rye would mean more than just the lunch period... it meant forever.  
  
---  
  
In the afternoon, the pandamoniam only worsened. The way to detect energy was still yet to be discovered, and time was ticking off faster than the computer could make calculations. At four o'clock, Vegeta, against Nappa's objections, stopped by the lab to check the condition, but nothing has changed. He pulled Rye aside and together, they walked to the indoor garden, the ship's only natural room.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Vegeta, Frieza's going to kill you after he finds out."  
  
"He won't. Come on, we got no time for this. If you're ever going to run, we have to start now. It's your only chance."  
  
Rye stared at the flower bed. She felt like them, all squished together with no room to escape except by trampling over its kin. That's what she was doing right now. Putting her own friends on the line so she can escape. Escape to safety.  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
Vegeta stared fiercely at her for what seemed like a time, and then forced himself to move. As he said, there was no time to waste. He grabbed hold of her bone-like arms and led her out of the garden, and instead of turning left to go back to the East Wing, he turned right, venturing into the uncharted. After many turns, Rye lost track of their location, but Vegeta did not slow down, and charged ahead continuously. It was as if he went through these corridors many times, and he probably has. Just when Rye thought they had went in a complete circle around the ship, Vegeta pushed several buttons, and the metal door, surprisingly, swung open without a sqeak.  
  
"Had to go the long way. Ever since Frieza caught me here before, he set up a surveilence camera just at the corner ahead." Vegeta explained once they were inside and the door was tightly closed behind them. Through the faint light from corridors that shone through the small circular window, Rye could see what looked like another training facility, with identical punching bags hanging every couple of feet along the circumfrance of the circular room.  
  
"Frieza's personal training chamber." Vegeta answered the impending question.  
  
"Frieza's personal training chamber! Are you out of your mind?"  
  
"Hush. We need to hide you until tonight. This will be the last place he'll suspect. One of these punching bags are hollow." He pointed to the cylinders hanging from the ceiling, and their bottoms attached to the floor with thick springs.  
  
"Rye. Get in here." Vegeta grabbed one of the farthest ones from the door and pressed a switch, revealing that, indeed, it was hollow inside. She climbed inside uncertainly, and Vegeta closed the seam with another press of a button. Before she could settle comfortably, Rye sensed Vegeta leave hastily, and she suspected he went back to the training room where he was suppose to be in the first place, pretending nothing had happened.  
  
---  
  
Inside the punching bag was pitch-dark, stuffy, and very uncomfortable. There was just barely enough oxygen supply coming from a small torn hole up near the top. Rye felt fortunate that she was so skinny. If she had even just a millimeter of fat or muscle anywhere, the punching bag would not have been able to hold together. She sat perfectly still for what felt like an hour to her, with her arms around her retracted legs.  
  
Unable to move, Rye immersed herself in her mind. At first, her mind was filled with nothing but her overactive imagination. She pictured all kinds of scenerios, which all ended up with her under Frieza's foot, or worse, his tail. She tried to find a way to defend herself in case anyone happens to walk in, but no matter how much she thought, she always ended up in front of the gray wall with graffiti in dripping red letter saying "dead end".  
  
She was a sitting duck in this enemy territory. What were you thinking, Vegeta? Couldn't you have hidden me in your room or something? At least, then, she could find ways to escape if she became too desperate. She knew of all the secret compartments and entrance to hidden passageways that only the four of them knew. Oh, who am I kidding? Vegeta's room will be the first place Frieza searches when he finds out I went into hiding.  
  
Ruling escape as impossible, Rye thought about the actual escape more thoroughly. There were so many variables... too many to just say yes or no. If she stayed, she'll be killed for sure. Yet if she leave, then she'll have to start a new life. A new life... without Vegeta. Could she do that? He was her hope, her life support, her soul purpose of life when Frieza destroyed the rest.  
  
She couldn't remember much about her infancy, but she knew her mother, then her father, and finally Vegeta had all played a part in protecting her life from Frieza's grasp. Yes, he has been after her life ever since it first met the crazy, upside-down world. Fortunately, he has only managed to destroy everything in the way of the target but the target itself.  
  
The only vivid memory she could recall was the night her parents, along with the rest of the planet, distinguished from this world. No one else survived except for her, who has already been sent to Planet Vegeta for safety. Upon hearing the news, she was crushed, but she recovered slowly under Vegeta's care. Even when Frieza tried to kill her again by obliterating Planet Vegeta, she and Vegeta narrowly survived, along with Nappa and Radditz.  
  
With nowhere else to run to, they submitted to Frieza's rule, but Vegeta had protected her as he promised his late father. She knew, as long as Vegeta was by her side, she'll never die. He was the only one she had left. Eventually she proved her value and Frieza decided to let her live, but she knew that her real danger was just rising over the horizon.  
  
She loved Vegeta dearly. If she was to leave now, she'll be abandoning him. How could she do that, after all he has done for her? How could she leave him so she can take the easy way out? How could she be so selfish? It was his idea, Rye told herself, trying to deny the guilt, but that only made it worse. It tore her heart to think Vegeta is doing this, willingly, for her. And all she can do is say goodbye.  
  
No! I can't do it! I won't do it! Over and over, she repeated those words, but as if there was a concrete slab at the bottom of her heart, she could not get rid of the nagging truth. This is your chance to escape. There won't be another. Take the opportunity. She knew it was the noble thing to stay, but that meant nothing to her REAL soul, not the perfect soul she tried to be. Afterall, if she stayed, she'll no doubt be killed, and that'll break Vegeta's heart. She knew Vegeta figured either way, he'll be alone, but he'll rather know that she had the chance to live. Regardless of how she sliced the situation, the results were always the same. She had to run.  
  
Rye stared up at the blackness. That was her future. No light, no hope, nobody else. She was all alone, stuck between a the edge of the cliff and a giant steel wall, cornered in a mountain cave with a grizzly waiting outside. This was her destiny: a strained punching bag with no where to run when she's in danger, like a sitting duck in the middle of a pond. Yet, she was as different from it as black and white. She was trapped... trapped within Frieza's grasp, in the eye of a hurricane. Danger is all around, too close for comfort, and one mistake and it'll all be over for her. That was what her future looked like.  
  
She felt moisture gushing towards her eyes, and when she blinked, a couple of droplets fell on her knees. She didn't tried to stop the flood, or even wipe them away. She just stared upward and let her tears roll down freely, silently. Crying was weak. She was weak. There was no reason to deny it any more. Rye has been trying to be strong like Vegeta for as long as she could remember, but that all seemed pointless now. Living seemed pointless.  
  
You know that's not true. Her good half argued back. You have to keep living for Vegeta. He didn't bring you this far for nothing. Rye closed her eyes, and tried to drive her good self all the way to the back of her head. She has been trying to be good for too long. It's about time she get some choices of her own, for her own self. What happened to all the stuff he taught you? Didn't he tell you not to give up? Remember the time he told you not to give up?  
  
That did it. All the memories before their slavery came back to her like summer, embracing her with the warm, sunny times when she could run and laugh and eat all she wanted. The year they were chasing each other in the meadows, or tearing each other's limbs off to get the bigger piece of cake. After the world turned into hell, all that seemed almost like something out of fairy tales, not a life she could ever have led.  
  
For the first two month when they began working for Frieza, Rye frequently had dreams about what her life used to be. Sometimes, the dream was so real, she'll wake up expecting the sweet aroma of pancakes waiting by her bedside. That was when she foolishly believed they would all escape one day. As days dwindled by and Frieza became colder and stronger, hope was dissipating fast. Then she began dreaming more about all she had lost from her own planet to Vegeta's. Often she'd wake up either screaming or sweating hard. Now, eight years later, all that was pratically gone, leaving just the last of fading light in her gray, barren soul.  
  
---  
  
There was a great buzz of excitement mixed in with fear all around the ship. Vegeta and Nappa wisely went to bed early today, knowing just as well as everyone else the horrible mood Frieza was in. Rumors were flying this way and that about a missing scientist. Of course, nobody but Vegeta knew that that was more than just a rumor. At the fork in the hallway, Nappa noticed Vegeta had taken the left instead of right towards the cafeteria.  
  
"Sir, are we going to skip dinner also?"  
  
"Yes. It's much too noisy in there."  
  
Nappa frowned at Vegeta's short answer, but said nothing. He has learned from many trial and error to NEVER question Prince Vegeta's question, no matter how unreasonable it is. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what has gotten into the young prince today. After he disappeared without a word and returned a short while later, he hasn't said anything except those seven words just now.  
  
Silently, Nappa followed Vegeta into the Saiyan quarter. It was a large family room with five doors leading to the four individual bedrooms and the bathroom. In front of their own doors, the two Saiyans parted, and each went into their own bedrooms.  
  
---  
  
He purposely left his bedroom door ajar, and now the grandfather chime drifted into his dark room. It boinged once, signaling one am. For miles, no sound except Nappa's snoring was audible. It's about time. In catlike stance, the short figure, wearing his armor except for the shoulder shields, tip-toed down to the training area, skillfully dodging any laser security.  
  
He found the security pad amist the darkness, and punched in the code. Just as before, the door opened silently, and Vegeta rushed in. Once inside, he walked around the edge while counting the bags, and stopped at the twenty- first one. With no light, Vegeta learned the hard way how hard it was to find the mechanism that opened the hollow bag. He dared not to expand his energy and illuminate his surroundings in fear of the light detector. If the machine picked up any brightness, Frieza will be alerted at once. Instead, he groped around the top, around the area where the cord hanging from the ceiling was attached to the bag.  
  
After several valuable minutes that Vegeta could not have spared, the bag sprung open, revealing Rye, fast asleep. He shook her none too gently, already lost his patience. When she groaned, he quickly covered her mouth, knowing very well about the sound detector that Frieza activated during the night. That's how he was caught. He had sneaked in here during while the rest of the ship was still asleep, hoping to gain more strength to overthrow the tyrant.  
  
Once her mouth has been covered, Rye's insticts kicked in and her eyes opened wide. She kicked and punched, bit and clawed, but her captor refused to release her, and forbid even a word to escape.  
  
Vegeta tried his best to calm her down by gently stroking her face with his other hand, but that went unnoticed as she frantically tried to drive him away. Finally, failing miserably to keep his anger in tact, Vegeta picked Rye up by her collar and dragged her out of the restricted area, all the while covering her lips sealed.  
  
His original plan was to take her straight to the launching area, but with her thinking he was her enemy, Vegeta had no choice but to stop and calm her down... a task that would not be very wise out in the open. He decided the best place would be the garden, located on the way to his destination.  
  
---  
  
"Rye, calm down."  
  
"V... vegeta?" Rye whispered softly, so softly that he won't have heard if he hadn't been cradling her in his arms under the bushes that casted shadows over them both and hid them from any wandering eyes. They were all in their own world. "Vegeta?" She repeated again.  
  
Although he didn't answer, Rye felt his head nod against her cheek and she was satisfied.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you cover my mouth?"  
  
"Didn't I tell you that was Frieza's training chamber? It's protected by all the latest technology. His zillion detectors can sense light, sound, and even-"  
  
"Even some energy that a body releases. Appearantly Frieza wanted more. He wanted to be able to detect ALL energy signals, not just when a body feels like releasing, but ALL the time."  
  
"That's enough. We have limited time."  
  
Rye nodded curtly, and Vegeta revealed his plans.  
  
Afterwards, Rye sat frozen on the grass. She seem to have lost all her speaking abilities.  
  
"Come. We've got to get to the launching pad fast. The first ship's to fly off at six, so the maintainance will be there two hour early to get ready."  
  
When she would not budge, he grabbed hold of her wrists this time and half led, half dragged her to the station. Vegeta was just going to continue dragging her onto the ship and send her off. It was going to be simple, clean and easy.  
  
But no, it wasn't going to be simple. Nor clean. Nor easy. He knew that was from an outsider's prospective. An unwritten direction on a cereal box. The truth was, he was hurting. To think he'll never be able to see her again slowed his every step. To make matters worse, Rye finally regained her body just before they stepped in front of the vacant launching pad.  
  
"I... I can't do this." She broke down, sobbing in his bare chest. "Vegeta, I can't take your ship. I can't... leave you."  
  
He felt like crying himself, but his father will reincarnate before that happens. He has already gone too soft tonight. "Get a grip on yourself. Frieza is on a rampage until he finds you. He's not going to spare you!"  
  
"It won't work. I'll get caught. You'll be punished. Frieza keeps tabs on all the traffic, remember?"  
  
"No. Rye, I already told you. Frieza's security isn't perfect. He can't monitor what he can't see, and that's why my father ordered Bardock to build this... just in case." Vegeta pointed to the emptiness.  
  
"But he gave it to you! He made it invisible so YOU can escape. I can't take your only hope."  
  
"You've GOT to. Now's not the time to be noble. Heck, you don't have ANY time. I've still got some."  
  
"And when you run out?" She stared fiercely up at him.  
  
"Then... then I'll find a way. I'll be stronger then. I can overthrow him. But not now. Now you've got to run. This is the only way I can protect you. I won't let Frieza be satisfied."  
  
"Vegeta... will I ever see you again?" She mumbled into his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah." He whispered gently into her ear.  
  
"Promise me, Vegeta. Promise me you'll come looking for me."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"I'll be waiting."  
  
Then they heard footsteps in the far distance. The first of the maintainance crew had arrived.  
  
"Hurry."  
  
"Vegeta, I love you." She looked up with glossy, teary eyes, and their lips met, sharing the their first, and final, kiss that would seal away everything.  
  
Those footsteps were coming closer now, and Rye knew she had to go. She reluctantly tore herself away from Vegeta. While her gaze was glued to him, she walked backwards into the cockpit, and buckled her seatbelt.  
  
Vegeta stepped back, getting ready for the launch when-  
  
"Vegeta! Come with me!" Rye spoke desperately.  
  
He shook his head, and pressed the "close" button on the control pad.  
  
Rye watched silently as the door slowly hid Vegeta's figure from her view.  
  
Vegeta stood motionless in front of the ship, watching it seal away everything that mattered to him, aware of the footsteps at the doorway, and gave his last four words. "I love you too."  
  
Rye thought she had imagined his reply, for it was so soft and quiet that it barely reached her ear drums before the extreme pressure of hurling into space snatched it away. She pressed her face against the small side window and cried out "Vegeta!" In gallons of tears that could flood the Great Lakes, Rye watched the retreating figure on the ground until he was out the door safely.  
  
Neither knew this was the final event that would seal away their childhood forever. From this point on forward, Rye would never see the old Vegeta she grew up to love, the one with innocent emotions. By morning, Frieza would realize that Rye is on longer aboard his ship, and he'll hold Vegeta responsible. Vegeta simply told him that he killed her himself, a lie Frieza easily saw through... and willing to overlook for a reason beyond Vegeta's understanding. Instead, he sends the clueless Nappa on a mission to Namek, knowing very well that's where she went, and just as he expects, Nappa reports back to Vegeta that he witnessed Rye's funeral.  
  
With this heart-shattering news, Vegeta finally allows himself to erase all of her memories and much to Frieza's delight, turns cold and heartless. Vegeta has allowed himself to become Frieza's personal fighting machine, and he gave not one complaint since he had nothing else to hang on to anymore. In the end, Frieza won ultimately, for Vegeta's weakest spot died along with her, and now he was completely strong and completely his. This was, for you see, Frieza's whole plan.  
  
Frieza knew perfectly well about Super Saiyans and their powers. He believed by turning Vegeta into a machine without heart, he'll eventually loose his Saiyan instincts, and the Super Saiyan will be distinguished.  
  
So the universe's only hope to overthrow Frieza has gave up and brought everything to an end...  
  
For now.  
  
---  
  
Read it's sequel, "My Secret" (up there on the address bar, change the last part to): storyid=1309508  
  
If you already finished reading "My Secret", I know FFnet stripped my last url. If you want to vote for which story I should write next, go here: ichigo.gq.nu 


End file.
